Published 6:30 am, Friday, January 1, 2010

After spending their last work day on the run from Nebraska, the UT offensive corps need a quick fix.

After spending their last work day on the run from Nebraska, the UT offensive corps need a quick fix.

Photo: BILLY CALZADA, San Antonio Express-News

UT offense knows huge effort needed against Alabama

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AUSTIN — Nine times Colt McCoy had to peel himself off the Cowboys Stadium turf after sacks on Dec. 5, and by the end of the night, his patience wore thin.

In the huddle and on the sideline, his voice began to rise. Then his tone made the subtle shift from encouragement to exasperation. And through it all, he looked to his offensive linemen and kept repeating one six-letter plea.

“The word is ‘strain,'” McCoy said of his message to his teammates during the Big 12 championship game against Nebraska. “Give your best effort on every play.”

Somehow, the Longhorns strained just enough to escape with a 13-12 victory over the Cornhuskers despite their roughest offensive game of the season. But as No. 2 UT prepares to face top-ranked Alabama and a defense generally regarded as superior to Nebraska's, McCoy and his team face two pivotal questions:

Do the Longhorns need more effort or a different scheme? And will either solution be enough to overcome Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain and the Crimson Tide?

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Alabama is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (giving up just 11.0 points per game, compared to Nebraska's 11.2). The Tide rank second in total defense (yielding only 241 yards per game, compared to Nebraska's 284). And Alabama has not only a dominant interior force (Cody) comparable to Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh, but also a game-changing linebacker (McClain) to go with him.

“We've got our hands full, for sure,” McCoy said.

Against the Cornhuskers, UT gave up season highs in sacks (nine) and interceptions (three) while managing a season-low 202 total yards. A popular scapegoat in the aftermath of the game was the offensive line, which is loaded with experience but has struggled to maintain any sort of consistency this season.

UT coach Mack Brown said the team has not exactly shielded the linemen from criticism.

“They've been called out by a lot of people,” Brown said.

So, too, has offensive coordinator Greg Davis, who admitted he “did a poor job of trying to help our kids” against Nebraska. Even though numerous comparisons have been made between the 2009 Longhorns and the 2005 squad that won the national title, Davis finds himself in a much different position than he did four years ago. In 2005, UT won the Big 12 championship game 70-3, and Davis won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant. Davis said in terms of offensive adjustments in the month leading to the Rose Bowl that season, he made “probably none.”

This time, he said the offense will probably undergo several schematic changes in preparing for Alabama.

The Longhorns will not release a depth chart for the BCS title game until this weekend, and there might be changes on the offensive line when it is unveiled. But regardless of how it plays out, the linemen vowed not to let the Nebraska hangover linger.